


Indirect Confession

by thoopsy



Series: Half Life Mermaid AU [2]
Category: Half-Life
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Fluff, M/M, Mute Gordon Freeman, Pre-Relationship, WARNING: I talk about teeth a little much in this one, not for weird reasons they're just relevant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:42:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27160627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thoopsy/pseuds/thoopsy
Summary: Gordon still doesn't know Barney's a gosh dang merman, and inadvertently makes his month!Also, what gift is more personal than one you made yourself?
Relationships: Barney Calhoun & Gordon Freeman, Barney Calhoun/Gordon Freeman
Series: Half Life Mermaid AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944652
Comments: 19
Kudos: 150





	Indirect Confession

**Author's Note:**

> I speedran Undertale for the first time this week! Not relevant, but I'm happy about it! 
> 
> I'm serious about mentioning teeth a lot, if you've got any sort of dental phobia this is your last chance.

Gordon was settling easily into this little town on the coast. Or, more accurately, he was settling into a comfortable friendship with Barney. He hadn’t interacted with much of anybody else, and he was fine with that. 

Barney regularly dragged him away from his research, to keep good on his promise to teach him to surf. He was no psychologist, but leaving the houseboat and getting vitamin d was definitely good for his mental health. 

It was simple being his friend. Much, much simpler than surfing. He stayed on the board just about as much as he fell off it. Not a good track record. With Barney’s encouraging smiles around, it was easy to get back up and try again.

Metaphorically. Sometimes the board flipped over instead of letting him on.

They were done for today, boards side by side in the sand. Gordon was also in the sand. Covered in it. He’d use the public shower soon, it was _fine._

“I thought you’d wipe out for sure on that last wave, Gordon!” Barney flopped down beside him. “You’re _really_ improving.”

Without waves to focus on, Gordon’s brain could enjoy torturing him with small details that made his heart flutter. The sunset on Barney’s hair, for example. How he was close enough to touch, for another. 

Gordon had been sort of hoping getting to know him would’ve taken away inconvenient thoughts about his looks. 

Unfortunately, no, time had solidified the fact that he was _very solidly_ his type. Personality and all, actually. Barney was a very sweet guy. 

He got a brief respite from his Gay Thoughts® when Barney passed him a reusable water bottle, cold from the cooler and slick with either condensation or melted ice. 

Maybe you could fall in love through dehydration? That was a fantasy he could entertain, that the way he felt would go away with just a couple sips. Way easier. Less abrupt thoughts about muscles and lips and the way it’d felt when Barney helped him with his sunscreen earlier.

Forget sealife, Dr Freeman was now going to publish studies about seduction through surfing. 

Cold, fresh water tasted good in an indescribable way. Like his mouth was more sensitive to it, more open to the _good flavor_ after so much salt. 

He caught Barney looking at him, from the corner of his eye. Oh shoot was he making weird faces while he drank an average bottle of water? Oops.

Gordon wedged the bottle between his knees so he wouldn’t spill it on the unstable surface of the sand. He would never forgive himself for such a crime. Luckily, he did have something he’d been meaning to ask. “Barney, do you know any good tattoo artists?”

“Do what now?” Success. Forget Gordon’s longing looks and weird water expressions in one easy step. Step one: use a word he may not know.

“T-a-t-t-o-o artists. You have one, right?” Be nonchalant, Freeman. Pretend You Do Not Stare at the Arm Tattoo That Regularly, Freeman. “I’ve been thinking of getting something.”

Barney leaned back a bit, supporting himself with one arm. “You know, I wouldn’ta thought you the type.” His grin came easy, it was relaxed. Maybe more of a smirk? 

Honestly, he couldn’t blame him. A couple years ago, Gordon wouldn’t’ve thought he was the type, either _._ Back then, though, Gordon wasn’t the type for surfing, or for changing fields of study on a dime, or handsome southern men who sold seashells by a boardwalk. 

“There _is_ this gal, closer to the town square. You know the place with the honest to goodness lifesize Aquaman statue by the beach?”  
  
“No?” The _what?_

“Trust me, it’s there. They have to repaint it real often, too. Partially because they never get the right kinda varnish, partially because of all the vandalism. I can’t count how many times that guy’s ended up rainbow.” From the way he was talking about it, and how wistful his smile was, Gordon had an idea about one of the vandals. “Anyway, point is, there’s this parlor in town there. Super sanitary, I’m sure you’ll like it.”

“Sanitary! My favorite.” 

“Okay, okay, it’s not _great_ praise but you’d definitely care if they weren’t clean. Gina and Colette know what they’re doin, though, trust me. They did Alyx’s, too, and it turned out spec-tacular.” Barney took a sip of his own drink, a beer, before he continued. “I still need to introduce y’all. I swear, you two’ll hit it off like nobody’s business.”

“I didn’t know she had a tattoo.” Gordon knew an awful lot about Alyx for someone who’d never met her. He’d like to think Alyx knew just as many little details about _him_ Barney let slip, so it’d be even. 

Then again, Alyx was a large fixture in Barney’s life, Gordon was just somebody new in town. He shouldn’t have expectations like that.

“Oh yeah. She hides it under a sweatband usually, but it’s there. I can’t tell you what _of_ though, that’s her secret to tell.” 

Gordon nodded. He could respect that.

“What about you, though? What’cha have in mind?”

Barney was so nonchalant, despite how his arm _must_ be getting uncomfortable by now. His lazy expression felt safe. An unspoken _I won’t judge. It’ll be safe with me._

“There’s this blue shark I keep seeing, it visits my boat often.”

His friend sat up straight, almost spilling part of his drink on himself. “A shark, huh?” He sounded a little sheepish, probably just because of the abrupt position change.

“Yes. My reasons aren’t very scientific, but I’ve noticed odd behavior.” Gordon hadn’t mentioned this before, he hadn’t wanted to seem crazy but. Barney would probably be the type to let someone know if he fucked up, right? 

“Like what?”

“It watches me while I speak, though that could just be because of the movement. What’s odder is sometimes I see an octopus riding it. It never tries to eat it, I think they play.”

He chanced a glance at Barney. His eyes were wide, mouth slack. Oh no.

“I know that behavior hasn’t been documented in octopi and sharks before. An octopus can’t be compared to a suckerfish in basically any way, it’s a prey animal, and I know it doesn’t make sense. It’s not something I can explain and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to but for some reason I-”

“Hey, Gordon! Slow down, you’re talking a mile a minute.” A gentle hand on his shoulder, he forced his eyes back open. Barney was smiling again. Everything was fine, it was _fine._ “I didn’t get all that, but I think it’s fantastic.”

“Good! Glad you approve. Good.” Gordon took another sip of his water, something to do with his hands other than say good one more time. 

“Blue sharks, though, huh?” He couldn’t read Barney’s expression fully. Not that he was ever good at reading faces. “I think I _might_ just have something tha’d interest you. Would you mind swinging by the shack, tomorrow?”

“Not at all.”

“Great! Now, let’s get goin while we still have light, huh?”

Gordon would have to carry the cooler now. That he _did_ mind. The prices you pay for companionship.

* * *

Barney worked at Surf and Souvenirs, the local shop that sold things relating to. Take a guess. You can figure it out, he’ll wait.

It was just a little gig to make some human money. Also give him somethin’ to do, you know? Swimming was fun and all, but it was infinitely more fun to look for suitable shells on the seafloor. He liked having a task, a Job. 

Plus, board wax was cheaper in bulk. 

Usually, when there weren’t any customers, he’d put on the radio and do some whittling. Maybe try reading some cheap sci-fi from the second-hand bookstore, or practicing his sign. You know. So he’d be prepared when his hearing went.

No other reason.

Not today, though. Radio yes, hobbies no. Today he had a mission. Gordon was coming by later, and he fully intended to make him the best shark tooth necklace possible.

Of course, different strokes for different folks. He barely had the first clue what Gordon looked for in a tooth. _He_ was the one with the fancy Marine Biology degree. Barney was just the one who grew them. Or gathered them. Mostly grew them. 

It’d stopped being weird, selling his own shark teeth, a couple years back. 100% human kids did the same thing with the tooth fairy.

So here he was, laying out a variety of teeth for Gordon’s perusal. Only his own of course, those were the only ones he _knew_ were from a blue shark. Barney didn’t make a habit of staring into other sharks’ mouths, you know? No idea what made what kind.

The sound of a little bike bell down the street alerted him that the Man of the Hour had finally arrived. Barney switched the radio over to an instrumental station. 

Look at that guy. Wearing one of his button-ups to boot! Lobster print today. 

“Hey Gordon!” He waved to him, maybe a little too enthusiastically. He was still working on that. Being a normal amount of enthusiastic to see Gordon, he meant. “Fancy meeting you here. Come by often?”

Alright, alright, subtlety wasn’t a strong suit. 

Gordon leaned his bike against the side of the shack, freeing his hands. “Never.” He said with a straight face. 

“What a shame, well. Can’t be helped. If you were a regular, I would’ve let you pick out a tooth and made you a necklace.” Barney gestured to the counter in front of him, drawing attention to all the options he’d laid out.

His eyes widened, and he carefully picked one up by the uh. Top part? The not sharp part. Again, he was _not_ the fish doctor here. He held it to his face and inspected it, then traded it for another. 

Barney leaned back in his chair. Act nonchalant, Calhoun. Pretend it didn’t make your entire year that this guy thought you, specifically, were cool enough a critter to be permanently etched onto his skin. “Before you ask, yeah, they’re all from blue sharks. You mentioned ‘em yesterday, right?” 

_Maybe_ he should be more worried about getting Gordon’s direct scientific attention. Just as long as he didn’t try to tag and release him or anything it’d be fine. 

“I did! You’re very sweet, Barney.” Gordon graced him with a smile.

If he thought he'd get through this one without a little banter, he was wrong. “I said I’d make a necklace for somebody who came around here _often._ I don’t know _you_ , stranger.” 

"Reconsider?" Gordon asked with a very fake pout.

He winked, then did his best put-out act, "Well, okay, if you want a scientist discount you're gonna have to put them in order of your favorite to least favorite. Then write me an essay, I want it in seven point wingdings by tomorrow."

Gordon rolled his eyes, over exaggerated to show he wasn’t _really_ annoyed. He did actually start putting them in rows.

Barney started pulling out tools from underneath the counter. Wire, pliers, container of beads, cording, all of your run-of-the-mill necklace making stuff.

“Take your time, we _do_ have all day. Unless you’ve got anywhere to be.” It was rhetorical, but Gordon shook his head a little anyway. 

Gordon was carefully running a finger over the sharp edge of the tooth for. Some reason. He put it very near one end of the lineup. Very good or very bad, one or the other.

Abruptly, Gordon asked. “How do you know these are from blue sharks?” 

It was a simple question. Probably wanted to talk Marine Biology shop on the one subject Barney might know about. Problem was, he didn’t know anything.

You can't just say to a human, _"Because they're from me, a merman. Also, merfolk are real, surprise!"_

Not if you wanna be taken seriously. Or prefer not getting dissected for the benefit of some whacko, trying to figure out the origin of your magic powers. No thank you, not on the agenda _any_ time soon.

Instead, Barney had to settle for another wink, "Trade secret. Scientists like learning things the hard way anyway, right?"

He wasn't expecting Gordon’s face to stiffen, wary. He didn’t like it when folks made realizations in situations like this. Made Barney wanna _squirm_. Instead, he just kept his easy smile firm. Guilty people act guilty and all that. 

"Are you a p-o-a-c-h-e-r?” Gordon asked him like he was afraid of the result. 

He could sag with relief, but he didn't. Instead, Barney's hands came up in surrender. "No, no! Nothing like that, I've just got my ways and I don't wanna share 'em, alright?"

Gordon must just care about the sea and its creatures, huh? He’d never been hunted, by humans anyway, but he couldn't say he really cared for getting caught in their nets. So, you know, it was appreciated.

Lucky for Barney, he wasn't pressed further. Yet. He'd have to come up with a convincing lie.

No, instead Gordon said, "Good. Keep it that way. Please." He went back to his _super scientific_ examination.

"I don’t have _any_ plans of shark hunting anytime soon, don’t you worry one hair. Fishing for fish is hard enough.” Not that _eating fish as a shark_ really counted as your average human’s idea of fishing. 

They settled into an easy silence for a minute or so, until Gordon was done with his teeth. “These are my favorites.” He said, gesturing to one end of the line.

Near the top of his rankings were two of Barney’s long and skinny lower teeth, and one of his broader upper teeth. That sealed the deal, design wise. “Perfect! Get comfortable and let the pro-fessional take over.”

Gordon pulled out a little book from his fanny pack, his copy of _Totally Pocket Sudoku_. Bit of an odd name, but the cover was on its way to falling off so it wouldn’t really matter much longer.

He hummed along to his music as he wrapped wire around the tops of teeth, used pliers to attach jump rings to the wire, and threaded beads and teeth alike.

Barney liked talking, sure. Biggest blabbermouth for miles, but one thing he appreciated about Gordon was how easy it was to be quiet. Silences didn’t feel awkward. 

When he said something, Gordon _actually_ listened. Even when he didn’t seem like he was. The proof was in the pudding, with how he’d refer to things Barney’d only mentioned in passing _._ He was a wonderful friend. Glad to have him, really truly. 

He couldn’t have told you how long they were like that. Barney hunched over his craft, Gordon leaning against one of the walls of the shack, scribbling guesses in his book.

Barney might’ve waited a couple extra seconds after he was done, just watching Gordon turn his mechanical pencil around to erase something. He looked so proud of himself, must’ve finally figured out two numbers he’d been waiting on. 

“Now, about that necklace I owed ya." He held it up with a flourish. 

It was fancier than what he usually made. Or, more complex anyway. Three teeth, broad upper tooth in the middle framed by the other two. They were each curved, so he’d had them facing opposite directions. 

Some smaller, wooden beads were strung between the teeth as spacers. Painted oranges and blues, and layered with plenty of varnish. Made to last. They matched Gordon’s surfboard! Or, the one he always liked to rent anyway. At this point it’d be hard to dissociate Gordon from oranges and blues so why try?

There were two knots on either side of the beads, keeping them from sliding all over the place. And, of course, a woven loop-and-knot closure in the back. It’d taken his hands a hot minute to learn that, back when he first started, but it was so simple to put on you could do it one-handed. Definitely worth the trouble. 

Gordon slid his book back into his fanny pack, and zipped it so fast Barney could hear it over the music.

“Come on over, I need to make sure it fits.” He stood up, so Gordon wouldn’t have to stoop as far, and fastened it on. Their faces were awful close. Barney _didn’t_ take extra notice of the little freckles you could only see from close up. He also didn’t imagine what texture Gordon’s beard might be.

Just putting a necklace on your friend, pulling back after a regular amount of time.

“I’ve got a mirror somewhere back here, if you give me a minute.” He got flashed a thumbs up, and started digging under the counter.

Barney didn’t like to get rid of things when he could help it. For instance, covering some of the built-in shelving down here was an old necklace stand. Just a big wooden slab that knocked over if you looked at it funny.

He pushed it aside and, sure enough, there was his mirror. He picked it up by its stand, and plopped it on the counter. “Wah-lah!”

Gordon’s smile widened as he breathed a laugh, humor sparkling in his eyes. “Barney. Barney. Do you mean v-o-i-l-a?”

Aw, shoot. Maybe? He decided to play it off like he meant it, and leaned down nonchalantly to rest an arm on the counter. "Nah, you’ve spent too long with stuffy old guys. Just take a look.” 

* * *

Gordon wasn’t going to let wah-lah go, at least not long term. Mark his words. 

The necklace was great, though. It was better than he'd expected, and it made him _feel_ cool wearing it. Maybe that was silly, but being an adult doesn't mean you stop enjoying things.

He traced a finger down one of the teeth's sharp edge, marveling at the different textures between the two types of teeth. The strength of the animal's jaw, to make these into deadly weapons. They were probably from different creatures, but the idea of these things working in tandem?

Very neat. 

Gordon found his hands flapping in delight, fast and loose wrist movements. He looked away from his own smiling expression to meet eyes with Barney again. 

He wasn't sure Barney had all the words in his vocabulary to understand what Gordon _wanted_ to say about this necklace he'd made for him custom, and unprompted. So, instead, he decided to wrap him up in a hug. 

The counter was a brief obstacle, quickly surpassed by just lifting the entrance part up and slipping by. 

Also, another concern, he was very keen to make sure that all three of his pendants were laying flat so he didn't end up stabbing the guy. 

Nothing went wrong. Like the handful of other times they'd hugged, Barney fit just right in Gordon's arms. He hoped the gratitude bled through. 

As Barney’s arms came to wrap around his torso, he got the urge to lay his head on his shoulder. Maybe later.

“I’m glad you like it, Gordon.” He sounded a little muffled against his shoulder. He took this as a sign to pull back, nodding as he did. 

“How much does it cost?” He asked, but Barney just gave him a blank look. That made sense, they hadn’t talked about money in any of their conversations. So he pulled out his wallet, which seemed to make it click.

Both arms came up to gesture for him to _stop,_ “Hey, hey! This is a _gift_ , I don’t want anything, okay?”

One thing Gordon was very proud of, personally, was his eyebrows. Specifically, how he could raise just one of them. Mr Spock inspired him to learn, as a child. The unimpressed looks he could pull off never let him down.

This time, he kept smiling. He was trying to convey _are you sure_ with just an expression.

“I mean it!” Barney insisted. Thank you, Mr Spock. It didn’t change the outcome, unfortunately. “I don’t know when your birthday is, so there you go. Happy Birthday.”

The thing was, making something like this took skill. Practice. Gordon had never been good at anything creative, his brain just wasn’t wired for The Arts. If anything, that made him appreciate others’ creations more. Effort deserves compensation. 

He’d just have to find a subtler route, wouldn’t he? 

Gordon put his wallet away, “Alright. Thank you.”

Visibly, Barney relaxed. His shoulders lowered a little. Perfect. “Anytime, Gordon. If it breaks or anything starts getting loose, bring it back for me to fix it, you hear?”

“Absolutely! I appreciate it.” Gordon gave Barney another quick hug before he made his way back around the counter. He felt devious. “You’re available Friday night?”

It wasn’t really a question, he knew Barney was, but he still got a nod in return. 

Perfect. “See you for dinner!” 

With a wink and a grin, Gordon grabbed his bike and mounted it in one fluid motion. Anything that was yelled in response was lost to the wind in Gordon’s hair.

Sure, a free meal wasn’t as good as just _paying_ Barney, but if it was all he could get away with? It’d have to do!

**Author's Note:**

> Gordon, winking: I have tricked him into getting paid by me in a roundabout way.  
> Barney: IS IT A DATE? Oh FUCK did he just ask me on a DATE?
> 
> Anyway Colette and Gina had a rival tattoo parlor/piercing service thing going on, but they learned that they were happier if they worked together and fell in love and they're doing just fine. 
> 
> Final Note: Totally Pocket Sudoku is real. I don't know why it's named this way, but the puzzle makers haven't disappointed me yet! I've always been able to use deduction to figure things out, zero guessing required. Just like any good sudoku puzzle.


End file.
